Why reform Chancel Repair Liability?

As regular readers will be aware, chancel repair liability remains a controversial issue. In the following guest post, Michael Hall argues for its final abolition. Michael is a solicitor with experience of chancel repair liability.

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Current practical problems

It has often been said that Chancel Repair Liability (CRL) is a property right like any other; your solicitor can easily search to find out if it exists, and you can insure against it, so what’s the problem? Anyway, wasn’t the Land Registration Act 2002 (Transitional Provisions) (No. 2) Order 2003 supposed to deal with it, by removing the overriding status of Chancel Repair Liability?

Many property buyers may think like this, until they are unexpectedly affected by it. The law is full of uncertainty, and searches are often not reliable or definitive. Continue reading